1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a housing for accommodating one or more rigid, disk-shaped recording media typified by optical disks such as video disks and compact disks.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of optical disks such as read-only optical disks, write-once optical disks and erasable type optical disks are in general use.
Since the surfaces of an optical disk bruise and soil easily, it is most common to accommodate the optical disk in a housing when the optical disk is to be stored or carried.
Japanese Laid Open Utility Model Application No. 61-170178 describes a housing comprising a holder for superposing an optical disk thereon and a cover adapted to be placed over the holder. The center hole of the optical disk is adapted to receive a lug carried by the inner surface of the holder. In order to store a plurality of optical disks, a plurality of such housings respectively accommodating the optical disks are stacked tier upon tier or allowed to stand one behind another. For retrieving an optical disk, a housing in which the desired optical disk is accommodated has to be found. When it has been found, the cover has to be pivoted into an opened position so that the desired optical disk may be taken out. Such a complication arising from the use of this housing constitutes a drawback which limits its utility.
Japanese Laid Open Patent Application No. 5-205431 also describes a housing comprising a first member and a second member, whereof each has a recess alignable with the recess of the other to receive diametrically opposite end portions of an optical disk. Either of the two members may be provided with means for holding the optical disk. The first and second members are pivotally joined to each other so that either of them may be subjected to swing motion relative to the other in a plane parallel with the surfaces of the optical disk accommodated in the housing. In theory, such a construction of the first member relative to the second member makes it feasible to retrieve an optical disk from among a plurality of optical disks respectively accommodated in the housings and allowed to stand one behind another. In fact, however, the construction of this prior art housing does not presuppose that a plurality of housings respectively accommodating the optical disks are stacked tier upon tier or allowed to stand one behind another but presupposes that each housing is stored independently of others.
Japanese Utility Model Examined Publication No. 5-14367 describes an apparatus for storing a plurality of optical disks. This apparatus includes a housing for accommodating a plurality of open topped holders, each of which is capable of holding a single optical disk. The optical disk has to be moved in its axial direction when it is to be placed into or released from a holder. This apparatus was designed for use with an automatic disk changer and has the disadvantage that too much space is occupied if this apparatus is used for storing a plurality of optical disks.